UK Seasonal Worker Visa – Application Process
With the UK Seasonal Worker Visa, you can work in the UK for a short time, but you can’t stay there permanently. People with this visa can work as temporary workers in the chicken and gardening industries. Picking flowers, veggies, and fruits is part of the horticulture industry. The UK Seasonal Worker route has a limit that changes every year. That number is 47,000 for 2024. Between 45,000 and 2,000 of those spots are set aside for farming plants and birds. The UK Government sets the limit (Source). The UK Seasonal Program will now run until 2029, five years longer than before.
Anyone from anywhere in the world can get a casual worker visa. It has taken the place of the Temporary Worker–Seasonal Worker visa (T5). For the work visa, you don’t need to meet any other requirements. You have enough money to live on, though. Most of the time, you’ll need at least £1,270 on hand. Before a worker can apply for a visa, they need to have a job offer from a sponsor who runs an approved plan. Here are some more details about how to get a visa, what you need, and the areas that are eligible.
Details About UK Seasonal Worker Visa
- Job Country: UK
- Job Sector: Horticulture, Poultry
- Who can Apply: Open to all Countries
- Visa Type: Seasonal Worker Visa (Temporary Visa)
Eligible Roles for Horticulture, Poultry Sector
Horticulture Sector
- Protected vegetables – those grown in glasshouse systems
- Field vegetables – those grown outdoors, including vegetables, herbs, leafy salads, and potatoes
- Soft fruit – those grown outdoors or under cover e.g. in glasshouses or polytunnels. Includes strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, and blueberries.
- Top fruit (orchard fruit) – trees that bear fruit e.g. apples, plums, cherries, apricots
- Mushrooms
- Bulbs and cut flowers, such as daffodils, grown outdoors and indoors
- Pot plants, such as seasonal bedding plants like pansies, violas, germaniums, and poinsettias
- Hardy ornamental nursery stock such as Christmas trees, shrubs, roses, ornamental trees and perennials
- Tree and forest nurseries
Poultry production sector
- Butcher (occupation code 5431)
- Bird/game dresser (occupation code 5433)
- Killer and Plucker (occupation code 5433)
- Plucker (occupation code 5433)
- Poulterer (occupation code 5433)
- Poultry processor (occupation code 5433)
- Poultry sticker (occupation code 5433)
- Trusser (occupation code 5433)
- Food operative (occupation code 8111)
- Poultry catcher/handler (occupation code 9111)
- Poultry vaccinator (occupation code 9119)
- Poultry meat packer (occupation code 9134)
When you can Apply and how long you can Stay?
- For work in gardening (you can come work anywhere in the UK).
- Stay for no more than six months.
- Botany Seasonal Worker visas can be applied for at any time of the year.
- Your work window for chicken work is from October 18th to December 31st of every year.
- You have until November 15 of each year to apply for a Seasonal Worker visa for poultry.
Who Can Apply and the Requirements for a UK Seasonal Worker Visa
- You need to be 18 years old.
- Every country is welcome.
- You need a sponsorship certificate from your boss in the UK that says what the job is and how you will be paid.
- This is the paper that your UK Sponsor will give you: the certificate of support.
- You have three months from the time you get the Certificate of Sponsorship to apply for the seasonal worker visa.
- A sponsorship letter can be given to you by a lot of UK job firms and companies.
- You need to have at least £1,270 in your local account to cover your costs for the first month after you get here. Unless your sponsor can pay up to £1,270 for your first month in the UK.
- If your boss agrees to give you a place to stay and food, that must be put on the letter.
- The minimum wage is the least amount of money that a job must pay.
Can You Apply for a Seasonal Visa without a Job Offer?
Not at all. You can’t apply unless there is a job offer. To get a Seasonal Worker Visa, you need a job offer from a sponsor that the Home Office OKs.
UK Home Office Approved Sponsors
You can find a list of companies that are authorized to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration paths. This is a list of the sponsors.
You can get a UK High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa even if you don’t have a job. It’s a visa for looking for work.
Visa Cost
Every country has to pay £298 for the UK Seasonal Work Visa. Online is where you have to pay the fee.
Required Documents
- Proof of Job
- A valid passport
- The CoS reference number is given by your sponsor.
- Bank statements
How to Apply Online for the UK Seasonal Worker Visa?
- Step 1 (Find a Job): You need to Find a Job and have a valid job offer from an employer that is allowed in the UK.
- Step 2: Visas and Immigration, which is run by the UK government, is where you must apply online. website. (Link: https://www.gov.uk/seasonal-worker-visa)
- Step 3: Pay the Application Fee online and Book an appointment. You can Find a visa application center” on GOV.UK.
- Step 4: You need to provide Biometrics and submit your passport.
- Step 5: Wait for the Visa Decision.
Processing Time
It usually takes three to four weeks to process a UK work visa. After applying online, you should hear back about your visa within three weeks.
Useful and Helpful Links
Conclusion:
People from all over the world can get a UK Seasonal Worker Visa and work temporarily in fields like farming and gardening. With an easy application process, qualified applicants can quickly find work, get sponsorship, and finish the visa process. This visa program, which has been extended until 2029, still provides great chances to work in the UK during the summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Who is eligible for the UK Seasonal Worker Visa?
People from any country can get the visa as long as they are at least the required age, have a job offer from an accepted UK sponsor, and have enough money to cover their first costs.
-
What are the costs associated with this visa?
The visa fee is £298 for applicants from all countries, payable online during the application process.